Patrick Stewart sketch: what has the ECHR ever done for us?

After Theresa May says Britain should leave the European convention on human rights, Patrick Stewart, Adrian Scarborough and Sarah Solemani expose the problems in the Conservative plan for a UK bill of rights.
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This satirical take on the classic Monty Python sketch asks ‘what has the European Convention on Human Rights ever done for us?’ Apart from the right to a fair trial, freedom from slavery, freedom from torture ...
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#PatrickStewart #ECHR #MontyPython #HumanRights

[@panzerkami2381]

In 2016 this was comedy. Now it's drama documentary.

[@ianl1052]

Brilliant video. I can even forgive it being stolen from Monty Python's "what have the Romans ever done for us" sketch from The Life of Brian. I just shared it on Jeff Taylor's channel. I can just picture his racist supporters smiling and cheering at the beginning and then gradually becoming quieter and their smiles turning to frowns as the video progresses.

[@blechtic]

@@ianl1052 Well... There's the part about domestic violence...

[@Edelgul1717]

@@ianl1052 If done with permission and reference, it's not stolen.

[@ianl1052]

@@Edelgul1717 True, I should have said borrowed. Besides, doesn't parody enjoy a certain artistic freedom?😉

[@Edelgul1717]

@@ianl1052 It does, and they don't need the blessings. But looks like the blessings were obtained, even if JC was pro-Brexiter.

[@iweegouldyi8466]

Well.... They did build the aqueducts

[@aleksanderhelgesen5457]

+iWeeGouldyi And wine! - Oh yes! Yes! - Wine!

[@iweegouldyi8466]

+Aleksander Helgesen And the sanitation

[@thugperformancereview6405]

+iWeeGouldyi yes...yes but apart from the aquaducts the sanitation and the wine what have tje romans ever done for us.............. The roads?

[@roykliffen9674]

+THUG performance review brought peace?

[@lh1690]

THUG - The Romans didn't build the roads and aquaducts, the EU did. Please try to keep up with this revisionist history lesson.

[@mitch1788]

And Reform think we need to leave 😂

[@louis.pallett1476]

Only two other countries have left the ECHR - Greece, during it's military junta (after which it rejoined), and Russia, after it's invasion of Ukraine...

[@lvoldum]

And then there's Belarus who was never in...

[@mirkman1979]

And soon the U. K....

[@UltraCasualPenguin]

Russia didn't leave. They were suapended.

[@Living_Dead_Girrl]

@@lvoldum Because Belarus didn’t exist when it was created… it remained annexed by the USSR until the fall of the Soviet Union, bud.

[@pplesandoranges]

@@Living_Dead_Girrl Belarus and Ukraine were able to participate in international organisations during their time within the USSR - most prominently, they were distinct member states of the UN, separate from the USSR.

[@DarkDuckMovies]

He's not the prime minister, he's a very naughty boy.

[@danielrosie1812]

Please take my cookie in a symbolic gesture of my gratatude.

[@farkaskovesi9977]

You are an absolutely perfect humanbeing I wish I could be like you

[@jean-lucpicard5510]

I can be naughty at night time

[@elevengiant]

Patrick Stewart for PM

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

Make it so!

[@SO_DIGITAL]

Hear hear!

[@pakabe8774]

But just as Jean-Luc Picard :D

[@DennisMoore664]

PM of the WORLD! With the global foolishness going on at the moment I'm game to give it a try.

[@KingofKlubs]

He's in the process of applying for American Citizenship, sadly. Havent heard an update on that front so it might have already gone through. So, no, cant have an American citizen as a British Prime Minister :(

[@Hamish_x]

KZbin picked the best time to recommend this video x3

[@frankowot4]

Listening to this in late 2021 and hearing calls in parliament for the suspension of human rights, this video was so prescient in it's warning of the dangers of autocracy.

[@ianl1052]

...and 2022 once again.

[@bennewton]

so painfully true

[@ChartreuseDan]

yeah but it was "project fear"

[@Nosregni]

And in 2023 😢

[@MrTimg12]

After Braverman's Tory conference '23 xenophobic Hurricane rant the scrapping of the ECHR and human rights will be in their 2024 GE manifesto no doubt.

[@Teozamait]

This is for those that made comments about Brexit: The European Convention for Human Rights is completely separate from the European Union. This is an international treaty drafted in the middle of the 20th century, signed by most of the countries in Europe, including states that are not part of the European Union (such as Russia). The European Court of Human Rights is also a completely separate entity from the European Court for Justice, operating from Strasbourg. The ECHR issue is separated from the EU, leaving one would not necessarily impact the other.

[@upublic]

+Teodor Ontanu esti deacord ca acest clip, desi se rezerva la ECHR, face totusi parte dintr-o campanie mai larga pro-EU / anti-brexit? (nu ca ar fi rea aceasta pozitie, si eu o impartasesc)

[@nuke16000]

+Teodor Ontanu Wrong. "All Council of Europe member states are party to the Convention and new members are expected to ratify the convention at the earliest opportunity." (Source: Wikipedia). You can leave the EU without leaving ECHR but not vice versa.

[@Teozamait]

+nuke16000 The Council of Europe is not the EU :) Russia is part of the Council of Europe while not being part of the EU.

[@Teozamait]

+upublic Nu, nu sunt de acord. Partidul Conservator sustine ramanerea in EU dar doreste sa retraga Marea Britanie din ECHR.

[@svobodat59]

Sure, this is not directly about brexit. It is a parable which says that something that seems to be Brussels dictatorship imposed on the UK is actually British influence imposed on the EU.

[@Sugar-Ahmed]

What has the ECHR done for Mutant Rights! Nothing I tell you, nothing!

[@Beelzebuebchen]

+stefanos2691 Hey, we really love our mutations. I´d like to see you, climbing The Wall without a pair of extra-hands.

[@draculagaming1834]

As a Mutant , I tell you '' Fok off ! ''

[@justaghoulintheworld]

Shhh you are giving Farage ammunition.

[@chaoscontrolsok]

Every one is a mutant!

[@Willsanky]

That's funny. I'm just watching apocalypse right now

[@bobsternolan]

Everyone is here complaining about the EU debate, but this video actually addresses Cameron's wish to abolish the ECHR in Britain and adopt a 'British Bill of Rights'...Wonder what's going to be left off?

[@Pneuma996]

yeah i mean I've read the bill when I was in high school and there's really honestly nothing to add, but to take away however..

[@balist0]

They really want to change the freedom from slavery clauses (no really) so that for example people can be forced to work for benefits

[@ryangarrett9433]

They'll likely remove the privacy thing as it's the only thing protecting us from their snoopers charter

[@brucinator9mm]

+Balist0 What, you mean they want people to work for money?!... the fucking cheek.

[@samwoodsywoods]

+Ryan Docherty Freedom of speech should be more akin to the First Amendment in the US as opposed to what we have now, which is more of a qualified right.

[@Oliver-l1c]

Eight years on... nothing ever changes.

[@reiteration6273]

Watching this on 2nd July 2024, two days before the General Election, and it seems like we're finally about to put those dark days behind us.

[@achtungcircus]

To the apparently befuddled: Yes, the ECHR and the EU are different things. But that's not the point. The point is about making decisions not based in the real world, based on emotion or Xenophobia rather than facts.

[@Traumglanz]

@@williamnation-dixon7743 Sure, sure. "And what a palaver that would be." And yet, the palaver is not ever and the date of the brexit is getting re-scheduled over and over again.

[@eldrago19]

​@@williamnation-dixon7743 I'm sure I'm not reading your comment correctly because it seems to say that you don't mind foreigners but you don't like courts that are run by foreigners. That can't be right because you are no doubt aware that the ECHR is not a foreign court, it is as British as it is French or German. To accuse it of being foreign is equivalent to accusing a British court of being foreign on the grounds that it doesn't solely represent my corner of the UK. Further, a British Bill of Human Rights would be incredibly easy for a government to tare up while placing a few fundamental rights at the European level grants us a level of immunity to that as it would require despotic governments to arise in other European states. Now I am sure that you are going to reply with a well-reasoned comment explaining why a British human rights bill would be better for the country which is the point: to explain why something is not good based on facts not based on the grounds "we don't like foreign stuff".

[@sid35gb]

Will Nation-Dixon err British judges sit in the Europe court you do know that. And you do need a referee at some point to settle disagreements between member states and disagreements between the EU and it’s citizens. I wouldn’t want to live without the opportunity of legal recourse and given the actions of the current U.K. government I’d want to be bring it to book seeing as it has no problem treating parliament with contempt. We have been given rights under European law that our own government doesn’t give us, you should read up on them you’ll be surprised what has been kept quiet.

[@sid35gb]

Will Nation-Dixon oh dear so you’re saying we don’t need judges especially if they haven’t been elected. Next you’ll be saying we don’t need experts 🙄

[@crosshairsof99]

@@williamnation-dixon7743 Don't bother with the types that intentionally misread your words then twist them and put them in your mouth. The treasonous lot seem very apt at doing just that.

[@UK_Sgt_7094]

if only we lived in a world where we actually had Sir Patrick Stewart as the PM

[@rogerbarrett9920]

Just watched this for the first time - Never has this been more relevant than now, with Johnson and our present bunch of grifters in charge.

[@racketear]

And supported by so many short-sighted haters. :/

[@Mel-mu8ox]

Johnson doesn't seem to be the one causing this :/

[@ModelsExInferis]

@@Mel-mu8ox Really? Then who, might I ask, is? And since Johnson is *supposed* to be the PM of the UK, perhaps he could, you know, maybe, have a word? Just a thought...

[@Mel-mu8ox]

I'd say its the ppl whose after his job that are causing it. been happening for a while now. yes, have a world... hay, you backstabber... please don't stab me.. baskstabber gets offended and complains to everyone they meet about how horrible you are...

[@CKW10001]

@@Mel-mu8ox it's Johnson trying to worm his way out of the GFA, and the DUP who are behind this, so they recognise NI as a wholey British state. Johnson is very much behind this along with his ministers, to try and deflect and using the DUP for his own gain.

[@megannehover4013]

With Raab's recent statement of intent, this needs to do the rounds again!

[@JKRambo57]

Monty Python Life of Brian "What have the Romans done for us..."

[@maxhess3151]

Well, the aqueducts for one.

[@unidentifiablesmurf7963]

@@maxhess3151 what

[@patrickstewart4715]

That was the best script I have ever done.

[@ShadowDragon8685]

I don't know if you're the real Sir Patrick Stewart or not... But it was definitely up there among the best. That laser-guided, precision F-Bomb strike at the end made my guts hurt laughing when this first came out, and it still does. It's such a shame the UK didn't listen.

[@justinwolz4932]

I love this riff on the Monty Python sketch about Romans. Works for lots of contexts.

[@lrodger2486]

What have the Romulans ever done for us ??

[@Mork2001]

Romulan ale :)

[@DiabloDBS]

Well considering the distance of the Hobus system from Sol and some Romulan commander saying they have very effective torture methods especially for humans despite no assignable evidence of previous contact i'd say they might be responsible for the UFO movement here on earth doing some 'research' on us.. Oh and the peace with the Klingons that lasted some century... Tasha can tell you all about this once she is born and has gone back in time .. if you make it to Hobus that is ...

[@MubzxayStar]

Love Romulans...

[@innocentemadstat7432]

Helped fight the Dominion.

[@albertstark8278]

Technologically revolutionized the cloaking device

[@PassiveSmoking]

Worth it just to hear Picard swear

[@BigHeretic]

*PassiveSmoking* Then you'll love American Dad !

[@stealmysunshine]

I want to hear Sir Pat say horsefucker

[@stealmysunshine]

@Kevin McDougall I'll take that 😁. Nearest I've had previous was on set I did hear Toby Jones say Rusty Sheriff's Badge.

[@paradisebreeze1705]

Let himself down

[@allymog5228]

There's also a short film by Omeleto on yt in which Data swears a few times if you're interested

[@pete275]

I don't get it, they didn't have all those rights before joining EU? that sounds unlikely

[@henrymarsh9575]

They had the rights the thing is that the Conservatives were suggesting getting rid of the ECHR and replacing it with a 'British Bill of Rights', the question is what would that really do beyond being a PR stunt. The ECHR is what we'd basically make anyway, it's largely what we had before, it's what we helped make. Also the ECHR and the EU are two separate things, we joined the ECHR long before joining the EU. If we left the EU we wouldn't necessarily be leaving the ECHR.

[@shadforthw3535]

But my question (being a complete non- European and only having basic knowledge of the history over my many years) is how is EU equated with ECHR? (never even heard of ECHR until just now)

[@henrymarsh9575]

They aren't really. The EU practically requires everyone one to sign up to the ECHR (because arguably it's a good way to make sure those rights and values are upheld by a single court), but the ECHR was first established in 1959 and has currently been recognised by 47 states as opposed to the 28 states of the EU. The EU is a union of various things for right or wrong depending on who you ask. The ECHR has the role of enshrining 'human rights', defending those and judging cases on them. The EU is more political and trade based. I can't really explain in detail without turning this into an essay, but that's the gist of it.

[@henrymarsh9575]

Sorry I got the date slightly wrong. The European Convention was signed in 1950 and made effective in 1953, the European Court of Human Rights was established in 1959.

[@InYurEye91]

The ECHR has nothing to do with the EU, it is seperate. The only thing in common is the word 'European'.

[@archforge]

Ah... Patrick Stewart can always deliver great lines. The last line gets me.

[@Mysterios1989]

The part about Northern Ireland didn't age well.

[@grahamfielding881]

One part Monty Python, one part Yes, Minister. Love it. XD

[@Xpistos510]

As an American, I would LOVE Sir Patrick Stewart in office.

[@jordanrodrigues1279]

It's a sad system of government which can put Donald Trump in charge not only in theory but in practice but rules out the election of Patrick Stewart.

[@Living_Dead_Girrl]

As an actual American, I know that *real* Americans on the internets never start out a sentence with “As an American,” nor call a single knighted (or whatever) British celebrity by their title. We call Elton John, “Elton John,” not “Sir Elton John.” We don’t even know whose a “Sir” 99.9% of the time anyways. We cut all ties to that kingdom long ago. And we’re still trying.

[@martinwebster5709]

Make it so

[@LampShadeAffair]

as much as I like Monty Python, this is genuinely better satire than the scene it’s spoofing

[@RisikoAO]

no

[@TheWinezen]

No one does it better than Monty Python.

[@shelbynamels7948]

They stole from the best ..

[@apexjailor9349]

Well the Monty Python one is broad and meant to be imposed onto many situations.

[@RetroSegaDev]

Patrick Stewart's delivery at the very end gets me every time 🤣

[@surlyguvna]

"But, other than all that, what have the Romans ever done for us?!?"

[@mostguitarswins]

This is quite brilliant. Many thanks to Patrick Stewart and company!

[@Mikey-ns6nz]

So appropriate in June 2022.

[@z4k4z]

Britain helped to make it so.

[@LGranthamsHeir]

Engage!!

[@seybertooth9282]

Who is watching this in 2022.... when the real PM of Britain has just suggested actually leaving the ECHR for real?

[@JohnZimmer-MannerofSpeaking]

How can you not appreciate Patrick Stewart?

[@steveogden5774]

Watching this in 2023 after Braverman has said her bill doesn't conform to the ECHR and the right wingers are baying for us to withdraw, this has become horribly relevant again.

[@Korelterramalcaor]

Patrick Stewart channeling Monty Python. Now I can die happy.

[@HexenzirkelZuluhed]

I explicitly searched for this sketch again. In these times more people should watch this.

[@jenk289]

Patrick Stewart is a LEGEND!

[@hughgallagher]

Hmmmm ... ummmm .....just so as people know.... The European Court of Human Rights is NOT a part of the EU. It is a separate entity. If the UK leaves the EU the we would STILL be in the European Court of Human Rights... The European Court of Human Rights is part of the Council of Europe, a completely separate organisation to the European Union. The UK is a founding member of the Council of Europe, which was created in 1949 by the Treaty of London.

[@Purrrrrrr]

I keep trying to tell people this but they are not getting it :(

[@obi89]

So what? Thats not the main point of the video.

[@hughgallagher]

The video was a piece of establishment propaganda designed to keep is in the "EU" ... how did that go for them? Did they really think that the British People would not expose this propaganda by explaining the actual setup of the EU as outlined in my original post?

[@LyricalDJ]

People only need to read the description to see why it may have been put up. Argue all you want, but if you think this was effective propaganda for people to convince people to vote Remain then you're not giving people a lot of credit. A quick search on ECHR will quickly dispell any notion that membership of it is tied to membership of the EU. At least this video clearly outlines some decent reasons to question leaving the ECHR. Now, I would agree with you that they could have used better timing. It woul have been more fair to the public to make a similar one regarding EU membership. But regarless the fact that theres even one British MP arguing for leaving the ECHR is sufficient reason to try an point at some reasons why peope may not actually want that. One would say, if only the Leave and Remain campaigns had been as clear.

[@Pulsar77]

In case you haven't been paying attention, Theresa May wants to leave the ECHR. Which would be insane, because the signing the ECHR is mandatory for being part of the Counsel Of Europe, which is far bigger than the EU. It's impossible to leave the ECHR and try to make a trade deal with the EU.

[@adammcguk]

ECHR gave us these things? So before the 1970s Britain was an unfree country? I think you'll find many of these modern freedom originated and have been codified in British law long before there was the idea of the ECHR.

[@MrEagleDragon]

the ECHR was established in 1953

[@uioplkhj]

Did you actually watch the video?

[@LimebreedUK]

DONT WORRY CAPTAIN I WONT LET THOSE PESKY ROMULANS GET MY OIL

[@oystercatcher943]

Absolutely brilliant. The government should be absolutely ashamed of itself

[@BS-vx8dg]

Why?

[@Iain1962]

Right to a fair trial is in the Magna Carta, a few years before anybody dreamed up the ECHR.

[@robertgalloway3771]

Magna Carter was English. Westminster and Henry 8th Laws also English foisted onto Scotland. No wonder England voted to leave. NOT forgetting E.R.G and 1922 Committee safe guarding offshore Havens for their PRIVATE manipulations, more important let the people die!!

[@Iain1962]

@@robertgalloway3771 Haha, oh dear, are you bitter about something?

[@carolynzaremba5469]

For the Barons, not the plebes.

[@nicholasqyll]

I love Monty-Pythonian-humour and of course Patrick Stewart! :D

[@Max1715]

Ironic how John Cleese can't do Monty Python anymore exactly because of today's culture, encouraged by the European Union, Monty Python is composed of too many white men.

[@Max1715]

@Paul B There was a comment before about Monty Python, and I responded to it.

[@dr.vikyll7466]

What? Monty would be a great success even today! Your doubt is heretical, I bet you weigh as much as a duck!

[@mvdstroom]

@@Max1715 Please point to any European provision, be it in a treaty, directive, regulation, or judgement, that limits the number of white men in quite literally anything?

[@jennieswensson463]

Can someone make sure Sunak sees this?

[@MissRhia]

this is one of the greatest things on youtube, no matter how many times I see this I cant stop laughing.

[@hus390]

Except it's not true.

[@MissRhia]

@@hus390 what isnt true? that Patrick Stewart did a comedy sketch poking fun at politicians?

[@jimmorrisey7409]

What have the Romans ever done for us.

[@vinba8234]

Romulans surely?

[@thegoombrat8198]

I'm just shocked seeing professor x standing up.

[@BrynBarton]

+The Goombrat clearly you've deleted "x-men origins wolverine" from your memory ;)

[@thegoombrat8198]

And X3

[@ZenoTypeX2]

+The Goombrat also good for you captain picard also wolvrine orgins is a bad movie but has one of the most relistic science bits near the end

[@thegoombrat8198]

game theory?

[@ethanlivemere1162]

@@BrynBarton Who hasn't

[@Vikotnick]

Peace in Northern Ireland just got me! Awesome

[@SirrahBeats]

There is nothing more heartwarming than Patrick Stewart outtakes.

[@Maclone2000]

How many people came here, today, the 15th June 2022, to watch history in the making..?

[@emilianoborselli9787]

And now I love Patrick Stuart even more!!!

[@mramg6038]

Tbh most of this was British and imposed on EU by us + the Americans. You can’t honestly tell me the echr ended slavery because I’ll just laugh my lungs out.

[@Jackie-wn5hx]

The definition of a "fair trial" is from Magna Carta, Habeas Corpus Act, English Bill of Rights, Right of Petition, English common law, and other authorities of UK Constitutional Law.

[@pbezunartea]

This is and will always be a funny sketch because it's true.

[@Traumglanz]

With Brexit, it lost it's fun imho and became far to real. Especially the issues about the Good Friday Agreement.

[@franksorry2653]

@@Traumglanz its Black Friday you mean right gov?

[@BS-vx8dg]

Yeah, it's "true" that the ECHR ended torture in Britain. Give me a break.

[@69misst1]

Yes because without the EU we would still have slavery.

[@DarthQueefious]

For those who are confused about how this applies to the EU Referendum / 'Brexit': -Britain was the first country to sign the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in 1950, years before the EU was founded and over 2 decades before Britain joined the EU (what was then just a 'Common Market') -The ECHR was promoted by Churchill, and it is a legally binding international agreement. 46 other countries have signed up to it. It is completely separate to the European Union. -Voting Leave will not mean the end of the ECHR

[@Asachana]

+RP FS2 The Brexit will not mean to leave the ECHR but the Tories wants to leave it WITHOUT a referendum. Cameron is destroying want all PM's formed in the last 7 decades since Winston Churchill just to keep him on in Downing Street 10. More: Since I was in Glasgow few weeks ago most people there say: If the English leave the EU, we Scots leave the UK. Brussels did more for our Scotland then London did since 350 years. So why shall we leave the EU?

[@DarthQueefious]

Asachana The EU referendum isn't just an English vote. Are you sure you're Scottish? And if you are, tho you don't sound it, why are you looking for other countries to babysit you?

[@mikeshadez]

+Asachana really really did EU give you the NHS did it give you benefits if you was out of work what do you see on your food packets English words Scotland has more of a say then anyone the Taxes are lower for a start and you get free education the rest of the UK pays for and you go on like a whiny little brat so I really don't know why you think you will be better off being in the European Union you're missing the point have everything we do not want more politicians we can't vote out

[@asArsenic]

It's called humor, and parody. Plenty of leave campaigners behave exactly like this, ignoring everything that the EU has done for the UK.

[@mikeshadez]

+Semni Istiqlal like what

[@cabinessenceking]

I thought Britain was among the first countries to abolish slavery and enforce that abolishment on the high seas?

[@sullivansongz]

Britain would have been one of only a handful of countries to have slaves in the first place

[@R3C0i11]

+éanna o'sullivan "Britain would have been one of only a handful of countries to have slaves in the first place" Don't be stupid, slavery was rampant in the world long before the empire ever existed. The fucking English natives we're slaves themselfs. Every race has been slaved and done slaving. nuff said

[@morgyk]

+éanna o'sullivan Learn some fucking history you dumbass

[@sullivansongz]

+R3C0i11 sorry, i was talking about the1800s. Of course you are right - most countries have at one stage or another had slaves. Incredibly, Irish warlords conducted raids along the west coast of England around the fifth century including the taking of hostages to be used as slaves.

[@sullivansongz]

+Morgan Kendall TBH it was a shot in the dark when I called you a frustrated little fucker but then (smart as you are) you jump right in and prove my point...DUH!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@pop5678eye]

You could easily repeat this sketch in the US for unions, the WTO, the Geneva Conventions, the Civil Rights Act, Social Security, Medicare just to name a few... 'what have they/has it ever done for us?'

[@TheEricBooth]

Oh man. Love the Monty Python's Life of Brian rework. Splitters!

[@EmperorOf]

SPLITTERS

[@MegaTonytheboss]

So you're telling me that before the implementation of the Convention, Britain didn't have this already? It's like paying for possessing an organ in my body

[@BS-vx8dg]

Exactly, Observer. This video is so incredibly dishonest.

[@brianmacgabhann5630]

Just when I thought I couldn't like Patrick Stewart any more than I already do.

[@acesul8811]

Britain is still paying off the debt from when it bought every slave their freedom, and abolished slavery in the UK and commonwealth. What the fuck has the European Union got to do with that?

[@methylene5]

+Ace Sul People have very short memories friend.

[@andrewmcgee382]

ECHR is not about the EU - please don't confuse the issue.

[@LegendaMK]

Monty Python keeps on giving. Such briliance.

[@Mark_Something-Ermm-Yeah]

Rishi Sunak should have to watch this 24/7

[@SapaHollidaySaparonia]

Right on!

[@Rob-rg7ix]

This is actually really how it goes now...

[@airspeed_alive]

That Belfast accent is the best 😂 what a palaver!

[@kimstockton]

British abolished slavery, not the EU.

[@ZedZeddlingtonchannel]

Love you Patrick Stewart, what a great video - thanks for getting involved in it. I'm sure many people wouldn't hear this argument if you weren't in it :)

[@ablanuza76]

This was a great reimagining of the Monty Python sketch. 😂

[@anticarrrot]

No one expects the European Convention On Human Rights!

[@thatguyfromcetialphaV]

Patrick Stewart swearing is like hearing Ghandi farting. It's an art form.

[@Wobblybob2004]

Didn't we already have all those rights?

[@martalli]

I think they address it in the video by saying that it was Britain's idea in the first place...

[@martalli]

And..I don't think the UK has an official bill of Rights like most constitutional countries. The UK does not have a written Constitution per se, but a sense of tradition and case law, am I right?

[@Bobisalive]

Who thought this would be so relevant now!

[@carolynwestwood6258]

I'd forgotten this! It's wonderful!

[@halon7476]

"Arm photon torpedoes "!

[@mrward6510]

From a Northern irishman i agree you do not want that can of worms lol.

[@gruntymchunchy1527]

Oops, lol

[@Traumglanz]

Oops. Sooree, we did open a can or two.

[@GeaVox]

This NEVER GETS OLD!

[@wabisabi6875]

Brilliant take on the brilliant Python sketch from Life of Brian--but I thought the punchline was going to be "wine."

[@vjo38]

And now Spineless Sunak is suggesting leaving.

[@joelike7787]

"What has the EU ever done for us?" ... "57% of our trade." "What?" "57% of our trade." "Oh yeah.Yeah they did do that, that's true." "And, uh, cleaner beaches." "Oh yeah, the cleaner beaches, Nigel. You remember what Whitby used to be like?" "Yeah, alright, I'll grant you the trade and the beaches are the two things the EU HAS done." "And free movement." "Well, yeah, obviously the free movement. The free movement goes without saying, doesn't it? But APART from the trade, the beaches and the free movement-" "Cleaner air." "Farm subsidies." "Product safety." "Breakup of monopolies." "Yeah, alright, fair enough-" "And human rights." "Oh yeah, yeah." "Yeah that's something we'd really miss, Nigel, if we left the EU." "And we share intelligence between police and security forces." "Yeah, they certainly keep us safe from terror. Let's face it, we want to know when Mr Alan Qaeda's in town." "Alright. But APART from the trade, the beaches, the free movement, the clean air, the farm subsidies, the product safety, the breaking up of unfair monopolies, the protection of human rights, holiday entitlements, equal pay, shared intelligence and security ... what has the EU ever done for us?" ... "Brought peace?" "Oh, peace. SHUT UP!"

[@joelike7787]

+JackSprat gg wp

[@jackmansfield4453]

+Sneaky Beaky Like Does it not make you wonder why we cant manage a humane system ourselves? The points you make are redundant if we vote a left wing government in.

[@TheLRider]

@@jackmansfield4453 how does that story go then? Or do I need to be a Daily Mail reader to understand how that would come about.

[@HaydenRussell]

You're right, there's no discrimination in Europe.

[@regexRex]

Before the EU, Britain was an unrelenting hellhole of barbarism and a set of ethics so primitive you could hardly call it morality. Captain Picard said so!

[@keepdancingmaria]

This is an answer to May saying she wanted to also leave the ECHR, which codified all those rights for the UK, and ALSO pushed them onto most of Europe. This was before the EU. Watch it again. This isn't about the EU.

[@peterstubbs5934]

@@keepdancingmaria With Baldy its ALL about the EU.

[@extermin8or3]

@@keepdancingmaria except we wrote the ECHR and it's base mostly on stuff that ws already enshrined in uk law....

[@BS-vx8dg]

@@extermin8or3 Exactly. These people applauding this video in these comments are so utterly ignorant of British history they apparently don't realize that Britain was *the source* for most of the ideas of the ECHR.

[@BS-vx8dg]

@@keepdancingmaria It doesn't matter that it's not "about the EU". The issue is that *the premise of the video is a lie* , implying (nearly stating, actually) that the ECHR ended practices like torture in the EU. For god's sake, Britain practically *invented* human rights and the ECHR is little more than the European adaptation of what the UK had already been doing.

[@TheNefastor]

OMG this is on the level of "Yes, Minister" :-D Love it !

[@robertgalloway3771]

"Yes Minister" a comedy of home truths!!

[@OscarRiba]

Well this did barely age

[@MichaelBlume]

Saw it about 10 times, and still enjoying every sentence! European thanks to the British culture & humour! :-)

[@iainstewart4092]

With Patrick being a distant cousin, I am not very proud of this piece. We will still have this treaty if we leave the EU. I can't believe how much they trivialise sovereignty, which is a healthy part of democracy. This video trivialises the genuine arguments to leave the European Union and attempts to use this caricature to depreciate the seriousness of the out question.

[@LostSpider]

Please tell us what peice of EU legislation you don't like?

[@TerryTheNewsGirl]

Today is 9 May 22. The queen's speech is talking about a bill to dump it.

[@AVeryStableMilkingStool]

Greetings from the future. June 2022 to be precise. Feeeling lied to yet?

[@iainstewart4092]

@@AVeryStableMilkingStool lied to by whom? I think a few things have overshadowed Brexit since then... Namely the virus lol

[@iainstewart4092]

@@TerryTheNewsGirl if the united kingdom decides to have superior legislation, then I don't see why we should *not have the power to drop or change things as and when appropriate

[@colinjarrett8592]

Time standing still: 5 past 9, six years ago and still 5 past 9 in 2022

[@Groth1175]

Pretty sure most of those rights existed in Britain long before the ECHR was ever an idea.

[@Psychotol]

Yes they did. Watch it all the way through for details.

[@lewisdavey466]

Tbh, acting like we couldn't have these things without the ECHR

[@doddford]

+Lewis Davey I think the point is that we don't currently have these things set out in law without the ECHR; not that we couldn't.

[@uzi1329]

+Lewis Davey Prior to the Human Rights Act 1998, the UK actually had one of the worst records for human rights in developed world, consistently ranked below countries like Russia and Turkey. You can google it if you don't believe me. It's one of the major reasons we passed the HRA; to avoid future public embarrassments in the European Court of Human Rights and deal with human rights issues internally. So I'm going to have to say that your statement isn't supported by fact.

[@tcpgblizzard]

+Andy Dodd Yet it's made to imply we couldn't, and wouldn't without the EU; utter nonsense.

[@aldursys]

+Uzi So we enacted the HRA, and could have enacted one including all the rights instead. In other words the UK parliament solved the issue itself.

[@uzi1329]

+Neil Wilson Yes, Parliament did solve the issue but I wouldn't agree that it did it independently. They used the framework of the ECHR. Starting from scratch would have taken far longer to firstly to create our Bill of Rights, and then secondly to 'get it right', as all new laws create unexpected problems which are solved over time. But, my point was that in nearly 800 years after the Magna Carta we didn't manage to create these rights without help from the ECHR. And our previous violations record suggests that without the ECHR we never would have.

[@GruppeSech]

In 2016, leaving the ECHR was seen as a fervour dream. Now in 2024 it could quite well become a reality.

[@paulgibbons2320]

I agree. There is no reason to leave ECHR.

[@MarkALong64]

This has aged like the finest of wines.

[@tombull89]

Well, six years later and still topical, unfortunately.

[@DaDunge]

Hillarious when brexit happened all the little brexiteers were saying "But we're not quitting the ECHR".... well about that...

[@Neldidellavittoria]

So good! Thank you very much for the upload.

[@squaddingquads]

Incredible that was a foreshadow to today's government

[@braders790boop]

the original monty python sketch gets the point across much better I feel, in the acting of John Cleese.

[@MRW515]

+Tʜᴇ Gᴀᴍᴇ Cʜᴀɴɢᴇʀ both are comedy sketches will little to no reflection on the truth.

[@SpacerGuy]

Haha - this is hilarious, keep em coming Patrick Stewart!

[@chiefdancingostriche]

truly great nations do not have the word "great" in front of their name. nor do they refer to themselves as "the greatest nation in the world".

[@CrimsonCrux]

The Great part refers to a coalition of smaller nations to form a greater one, not the boast that it's great.

[@Christian___]

Our nation is called 'the United Kingdom', not 'the Great United Kingdom'. Great Britain is the name of the island that most of us live on; it is 'great' because it's the biggest island in the British Isles archipellego. And we didn't name it, the Romans did. I do agree with your latter point though.

[@2009shumy]

hey, the british empire is still the greatest empire in human history...

[@chiefdancingostriche]

even germany is greater than britain.

[@chiefdancingostriche]

britain is greater than america, but that is it.and maybe greater than israel. that's it. the only 2.